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Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a minor league baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They are a Class A Advanced team in the Carolina League and the franchise is currently the farm team of the Texas Rangers. From their inaugural season until 2010, the Pelicans were an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Pelicans play home games at Pelicans Ballpark, which opened in 1999 and seats up to 6,600 fans. History The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were founded in 1998 in Danville, Virginia as the Danville 97s. As the 97s, the team played their home games at American Legion Field while sharing the stadium with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League. The team played in Danville for the 1998 season only because the team was meant to be stationed in Myrtle Beach which is the team’s current location, but Coastal Federal Field (now Pelicans Ballpark) was not completed in time for the 1998 season. After the 1998 season and after the completion of Coastal Federal Field, the 97’s relocated to Myrtle Beach and were renamed the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The team was affiliated with Atlanta Braves from their only season as the 97s to 2010. The team is a new franchise, but was not granted as an expansion franchise. The team replaced the Durham Bulls which played in the Carolina League from 1945-1971 and from 1980-1997. That team was replaced because they were promoted from the Single-A Advanced level to the Triple-A level by joining the Triple-A International League as an expansion franchise and became the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Triple-A affiliate. That team retained their Carolina League history and were allowed to operate as the same continuing franchise that previously played in the Carolina League. In 1999, the team advanced to the 1999 Carolina League Mills Cup Championship series. The series, against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, was tied, 2–2, with Game 5 of 5 set for Myrtle Beach when the series was cancelled because of Hurricane Floyd. The Pelicans play their home games at Pelicans Ballpark, a family friendly ballpark with a Speed Pitch, Obstacle Course, and Moon Bounce on the concourse. In 2004, Baseball America rated Coastal Federal Field as the #2 Class-A level ballpark in the United States. The current manager of the Pelicans is former big leaguer Jason Wood. In early 2006, Capitol Broadcasting Company announced plans to sell the Pelicans. The current owner is Myrtle Beach Pelicans LP, a group led by lawyer Chuck Greenberg. Myrtle Beach won both the first and second-half Southern Division titles in 2008 under Rocket Wheeler, who was named Carolina League Manager of the Year. The following season, current Atlanta Braves RF Jason Heyward played over half the year in Myrtle Beach en route to being named Baseball America's 2009 Minor League Player of the Year. Notable former players *Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers shortstop *Joey Devine, Oakland Athletics relief pitcher *Jeff Francoeur, Kansas City Royals outfielder *Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves first baseman *Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop *Marcus Giles, All Star second baseman *Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher *Matt Harrison, Texas Rangers starting pitcher *Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves outfielder *Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves relief pitcher *Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals first baseman *Jason Marquis, Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher *Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves catcher *Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston Red Sox catcher *Adam Stern, Major League Baseball outfielder *Jonny Venters, Atlanta Braves relief pitcher *Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher *Manny Acosta, New York Mets relief pitcher Roster See also *Current and former players External links *Myrtle Beach Pelicans official website References Category:Sports clubs established in 1998 Category:Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Category:Professional baseball teams in South Carolina Category:Atlanta Braves minor league affiliates Category:Texas Rangers minor league affiliates Category:Carolina League teams Category:Minor League Baseball teams Category:Carolina League teams Category:Teams in South Carolina Category:Texas Rangers affiliates Category:Advanced A Baseball Teams Category:Sports clubs established in 1998 Category:Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Category:Professional baseball teams in South Carolina Category:Atlanta Braves minor league affiliates Category:Texas Rangers minor league affiliates Category:Carolina League teams Category:Minor League Baseball teams Category:Carolina League teams Category:Teams in South Carolina Category:Texas Rangers affiliates Category:Advanced A Baseball Teams